SG: This summit is a demonstration that the
partnership between the African Union and the UN is an absolutely central,
strategic partnership for the United Nations. We consider that our work, in
peace and security, in human rights, in development, in relation to climate
change – our work can only succeed in the world if it succeeds in Africa. We
believe that our work can only succeed in Africa if we work hand in hand
together with the African Union.

We have worked, looking into all the crisis situations
that exist in Africa, and I believe that we have established a clear mutual
understanding, seeing eye to eye in relation to each of the situations, and
having a firm decision to work together to help overcome the crises still
existing in the continent.

But there are two central messages that I would like
to convey today. One is in relation to climate change. Climate change is the
defining issue of our time. The African continent practically does not
contribute to climate change, but the African continent is one of the areas of
the world where the impact of climate change is more dramatic and devastating.
Look at the storms in Mozambique and Zimbabwe and Malawi or look at the drought
progressing dramatically in areas like the Sahel.

We are not winning the battle in relation to climate
change. We need more ambition in mitigation, more ambition in adaptation, more
ambition in financing in order to create the conditions to reverse the present
trends. This is the reason why we will have our climate summit in September. It
is absolutely essential for states, for the business community, for cities, for
all to assume the engagement to reduce emissions by 45% to 2030, and to come to
a net zero emissions in 2050. Without that, the African continent will
inevitably have dramatic impacts that will undermine its development and will
undermine its security, and the whole world will suffer.

Second, we have a common project, the Agenda 2063 of
African Development and the Agenda 2030 of sustainable development globally.
The two agendas are aligned, but the two agendas that aim at a fair
globalization, aim at development that is sustainable and that is inclusive,
cannot be implemented without financing. And a common battle that we will be
facing in the next few months is to make sure that there is a quantum leap in
the available financing to development, not only in the African continent, but
particularly in the African continent, that is not only from the point of view
of the expression of international solidarity, but it is from the point of view
of enlightened self- interest.

Development in Africa is a fundamental precondition
for more equilibrium, for more peace in the world, for phenomena like migration
to be more easily handled, and so it in the interests of the whole
international community to substantially increase the financing for development
available for African countries.

These are two battles – climate change and financing
for development – in which the African Union and the UN will work hand in hand
in the months to come.

Q: Secretary-General, you have had little success so
far in your call for a ceasefire in Libya, the one for Ramadan. What is
your message to General [Khalifa] Haftar, and to Mr. Faki, what is the African
Union doing to help achieve a ceasefire in Libya. Who are you speaking with,
and what are you doing for the many African migrants caught in the conflict?

SG: I have no message, in particular, for any person.
I have a message to all Libyans at the present moment. In line with the
position that was taken by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union,
we strongly appeal for a cessation of hostilities, for a ceasefire. At least we
have now an initiative, as you know, for a truce during Ramadan, but what we
need is a ceasefire, a cessation of hostilities and foreign interference to
allow Libyans to be able to once again come together and discuss seriously,
politically, a way through. We had common initiatives, a common roadmap that
included, and we were prepared for that, a national conference to take place in
Libya, and then a national reconciliation conference to take place in Addis
[Ababa]. We hope that conditions will be reestablished, allowing for these
initiatives to move again in the future, but for the moment the main priority
is a ceasefire in Libya.

Q: A follow up question, and I would like to try again
on General Haftar – to both of you, what do you make of his current moves and
his plan to continue his offensive during Ramadan, and Secretary-General, is he
again showing you what he showed you when you were visiting Libya, which is
utter defiance?

SG: My position is very clear. It is an appeal

[for]

a ceasefire, which means cessation of hostilities, which means no more
offensive. That is very clear.

Q: [inaudible]

SG: Not only to him, but also to him.

Q: I would like to ask about Sudan. Mr.
Secretary-General, how do you see the measures taken by the authorities in
Khartoum regarding the transition, and do you have a message for the
authorities in terms of the time that authority will be moved to a civilian
government?

SG: Our position has been very clear. I have a Special
Adviser on Sudan, [Nicholas] Haysom, and his mission is to support the efforts
of the African Union to reach a successful, peaceful transition in Sudan.
Chairperson Faki was in Sudan, and so I will ask him, please, to convey the
message that I believe is the most important one, as we are, in this regard,
working closely to support the African Union initiatives.

Q: Thank you very much for the briefing. My question
is about climate. There is a report out today that was… scientists in addition
to UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and UNDP (United Nations
Development Programme) that says that one million plant and animal species may
be extinct in the coming years. Africa is mentioned. You talked about
cooperation and a lot of agreements. Is it too late, and what can be done to
reverse this tide? Thank you.

SG: It is not too late, but we are getting close to
the moment in which it will be irreversible, that we will not be able to reach
the end of the century with only 1.5 degrees of global warming. It is
absolutely essential not to go beyond that, because the impacts in the world
will be catastrophic. And one of the impacts is in relation to biodiversity.
But there are many more. Our objective is to make sure that the ambition that
was established in Paris is now increased.

We need several things: we need carbon pricing,
everywhere. We need the end of subsidies to fossil fuels, everywhere. We have
been advocating for the need not to have more coal electric plants being built
after 2020, and we are asking for a number of very important transformations –
in industry, in energy, in mobility, in agriculture, and in consumption – a
transformation that will make us able to reverse the present trend and to
guarantee that the increase in temperature until the end of the century will
not be above 1.5 [degrees]. But we are not yet there. We are still losing the
battle. Climate change is still running faster than we are, and if we don’t reverse
this trend, it will be a tragedy for the whole world, and Africa will be
particularly affected negatively by that.